Ola to impart special training to drivers to give way to emergency vehicles

Bangalore: “We commend Ola’s efforts towards initiating this change by creating public awareness and extend our support to Ola in this endeavour.” says Dr A. N. Venkatesh, Sr. Consultant & HOD, Department of Emergency Medicine, Apollo Hospital, at the launch of Ola’s first in a series of videos and collaterals for #GiveWayGiveLife. The campaign aims at raising public awareness, and bringing about a social change of giving priority to emergency vehicles, especially ambulances, on the road. Over the next few months, this video will be posted across various social media platforms to raise awareness and create a community of passionate change seekers/citizens.

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While everyone often notices the frenetic ambulance sirens, very rarely are commuters able to empathise with the serious condition of the patient inside. Ola has taken it on themselves to generate a sense of accountability by creating a Public Service Announcement (PSA) and fusing it with a popular and widely consumed medium of communication today – the web video. As part of the campaign, Ola is running the PSA across all key social media platforms to create awareness on the issue. The idea of giving way to transient ambulances will also be integrated in the training program provided to drivers at the time of onboarding as well as regular training through driver training device on how to acknowledge and act during emergencies. With a strength of over 5.5 lakh driver partners on India’s roads, each of them is a potential hero. While some of our driver partners have already exemplified these values, Ola aims to sensitize a broader section of drivers on the criticality of the issue with this initiative.

Prominent Healthcare institutions like the Apollo Group of Hospitals have also come forward and supported Ola’s #GiveWayGiveLife initiative, adding to the campaign’s reach and enabling a potentially impactful social change.

Endorsing the campaign, Dr A. N. Venkatesh, Sr. Consultant & HOD, Department of Emergency Medicine, Apollo Hospitals said, “The Apollo Hospitals Group is a pioneer in the integrated healthcare spectrum with a robust presence of world class emergency care across the country. Thousands of people every year don’t make it to the hospital during emergencies due to traffic congestion where golden minutes are lost in transit inspite of the best facilities being made available in ambulances. We recognize the dire need to create awareness amongst public to leave way for ambulances during their commute. We commend Ola’s efforts of initiating this change by creating public awareness and extend our support to Ola in this endeavour.”

“Give Way For Ambulance, It may be your near or dear ones” – Call 1066 in any medical Emergencies – Save Lives.”

The PSA will also be aired in movie halls before film screenings to reach out to a wider audience.

Talking about the campaign, Raghuvesh Sarup, CMO and Head of Categories at Ola, said “With presence across 102 cities, we at Ola are best placed to understand the unique problems faced by commuters on Indian roads on a daily basis. With this campaign, we hope to sensitize people about the importance of giving way to emergency vehicles. We are not only committed to building sustainable mobility solutions but are also devoted to becoming a worthy mobility partner for a billion Indians.”

Ola has spearheaded several campaigns for safe rides and safer roads across the country. Most recently, Ola supported the Bhubaneswar police in their endeavor to mitigate the traffic blockage situation during the popular Durga Puja and Dussehra festive season. Earlier this year, in order to promote awareness and encourage responsible drinking, Ola initiated a ‘Don’t Drink and Drive’ campaign. Under this initiative, Ola tied up with multiple pubs in Delhi & Bangalore to raise awareness. Ola also associated with the Delhi Police and the Hauz Khas Village Association in Delhi- NCR to promote safe driving conditions. Many such initiatives are being run in parallel in various cities across the country in a bid to ensure a safer and better mobility experience for a billion Indians.

#GiveWayGiveLife Video:

The video features a man in critical condition being accompanied by his family in an ambulance. Due to a group of indifferent people celebrating on the streets, the ambulance is trapped on the road, unable to transport the man safely to the hospital. This delay causes the patient to draw his last breath and his lifeline flattens on the ECG. However, in an unexpected turn of events, with every beat of the drum, the patient gradually regains consciousness and joins the crowd in celebrating. The video concludes with the caption, “Thousands lose their lives every year due to ambulance delays. Zero miracles have been reported.” The satirical undertone is aimed at provoking thought among the viewers about the very basic need for giving way to ambulances.

The campaign video can be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDvQ3caLIko

Ola driver partner Apu Shaw accepted a late night booking from Vivek Saraf near R.G Kar Medical Hospital, Kolkata to be dropped near another medical facility near Hatibagan. While waiting for the next ride, Apu was surprised to find that Vivek had booked a cab to Marwari Relief society. During the drive Vivek mentioned that his 21-year-old relative, who was suffering from dengue, needed urgent blood transfusion and that he was desperately doing the rounds of hospitals and blood banks to arrange for it. Apu realised that time was of the essence and that something needed to be done!

“It was heart wrenching that a young boy who has his whole life in front of him had to suffer like this. I immediately volunteered to be a donor,” says Apu Shaw.

Vivek was stunned by this gesture and says that words cannot express the feeling he had at that moment. With such simple, yet humane gestures, driver partners like Apu Shaw make the world a better place.